your say FREE YOUR SAY ‘Ezam Mohd Noor and gang, I hope you are enlightened enough to remember that even Umno has questioned the royalty. To err is only human.'

 

Malaysiakini accused of undermining royal institution

Democrat 53: We do not live in the Stone Age. It is obvious the sultan's statement did not go well with the non-Muslim community. Whilst there was no evidence to prosecute, he said there were indications to suggest proselytising was being attempted?

Can we ask those responsible for these irresponsible statements what were these "indications"? Most Muslims can see that this was a cover-up to save the face of the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department.

The royalty must be respected, but they are not God. If they are seen to have made a mistake, they can also be questioned.

Let's not forget what happened to various royalty members who had done things and have been taken to task. There are many who were not taken to task but have changed in their ways.

So Ezam Mohd Noor and gang, I hope you are enlightened enough to remember that even Umno has questioned the royalty. To err is only human.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: Which law in Malaysia says that lese majeste is an offence? Even the rulers can be sued or be prosecuted in the Special Court . The only offences that pertain to the rulers are treason and sedition. Criticism of the rulers for their statements, comments, conduct or behaviour in public is not treason or sedition as long as the criticism is fair, objective and courteous.

Professor Aziz Bari's comments are fair, objective and polite. It is only the Umno supporters who perceive any criticism of the rulers as a threat to the constitution, because Umno has used and abused the rulers for its own political purposes.

Which party amended the constitution to remove the immunity of the rulers and curtailed their prerogatives, apart from denigrating them during the constitutional crisis of the 1980s and 1990s? It was Umno, not the ordinary rakyat.

Borg Kinaulu: The kings are all powerful and unquestionably wise. They can do nothing wrong or say anything unwise. Disrespect toward them cannot happen unless they will it. The subjects have no choice but to follow the will of the rulers. All hail the rulers.

NONE Free Thinker: Utusan , why didn't you mention that about Abdullah Zaik of Isma asked the Damansara Utuma Methodist Church (DUMC) to apologise, even after the sultan had clearly said that no one will be charged? Or do you choose to hear and say only what you want?

Chuath : If the head of the country, in whatever capacity, passes judgment on something, his judgment must then be able to pass the scrutiny of his words. If his judgment cannot be subjected to logic, then we are only tolerating what he says and not accepting it, and we would only be tolerating him and not respecting him.

Being in a position of power does not make one wise. If they want a united team, a united country, a facts- and knowledge-based human capital, a '1Malaysia', then the rulers must lead with wisdom and knowledge and be glad that we hear and analyse all that they say.

Utusan Malaysia obviously needs a wise and knowledgeable head to lead as well.

Hope: Politics is politics, but taking a go at the royal institution begs questioning. No matter the issue, no matter the feelings, if we have no respect for institutions, then we don't respect each other. Right or wrong, they have to make a call.

It's best we show some respect, something every parent has taught their children to do, and I hope that every parent will continue to do.

Mirror on the Wall: Actually, it is the readers' comments that are the bellwether of the current feeling and trends of the people - the average Joe. If Utusan Malaysia is accusing Malaysiakini of undermining the royal institution, then it might as well point the finger at the rakyat.

Karma : We are all grown up and want to understand the difference between indication of proselytising and lack of evidence. If this statement was uttered by Nazri Aziz or Lim Kit Siang, they would have received a barrage of criticism for making an irresponsible statement to cause further damage to ethnic relations. It is confusing, whether it is decree or not.

We all love our sultan but we also would love for him to make balanced remarks so as not to cause other problems as a consequence.

Tkc: There is a major difference between questioning the rights of the royal institution (sedition) and questioning the actions of the members of the royal institution. If some members of royalty get involved in politics - when they should be above politics - we have the right to ask questions.

In the case of Jais-Harapan Komuniti, the Sultan of Selangor was not being fair in his decree. Instead of putting a stop to all this nonsense with an unambiguous and fair decree, we now have a few NGOs stoking the fire even further.

We should also stop dragging the DUMC into this matter because its role was merely to lend the auditorium to Harapan Komuniti for a good cause.

These Muslim NGOs should ask themselves where were they when the HIV/AIDS patients needed assistance and support.

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